Ryan Reynolds says his anxiety has sent him 'to the depths of the darker end'

The "Deadpool" star discusses his struggles with the disorder in a New York Times profile

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May 3, 2018 / 12:28 PM GMT / Source: TODAY

By Eun Kyung Kim

Actor Ryan Reynolds, who last year opened up about his struggles with anxiety, continued to raise attention about the debilitating disorder in a new profile.

Despite the smooth confidence he exhibits on the big screen, the "Deadpool" star described how he used to wake at night paralyzed by fear over his future. He said he still gets wracked by dread and nausea before many talk show appearances.

Reynolds told the Times that he has dealt with his anxiety during promotional interviews and talk-show appearances by doing many of the interviews in character as Deadpool. He said he also uses the meditation app, Headspace.

But he said it also helps that he knows his anxiety will lift as soon as walks onstage.

“When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set,” he said.

“That’s that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you’re going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly.”